My computer has crashed and consequently I'm struggling to organise things and dealing with photos is impossible at the moment (doing this on my phone) so that's why I haven't put anything on here lately. More for the sake of maintaining a searchable record for myself than anything else though (as I'm too crap with time management to keep a database going so often just search my own blog for my own records), I feel I ought to issue a quick text-only update.
Things have been very slow of late and despite putting in 86 hours since last Friday my haul for the patch in this period has been a single Chiffchaff on April 2nd and two Red Kites on March 30th, which (although the kites were superb) is a paltry return for efforts and reflects the astonishingly delayed migration at the moment. I've been on two other trips, one on March 24th to Farlington Marshes where Jamie, Liam and I enjoyed the RED-BREASTED GOOSE, a Spoonbill, about four Wheatears and a couple of Chiffchaffs, plus Black-tailed Godwits and impressive numbers of Dunlins, Grey Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits. Other highlights included Black-necked Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Marsh Harrier and the number of dark-bellied Brent Geese. The other trip was a dip on April 1st at Papercourt Water Meadows (Pallid Harrier) but we were treated to a long performance by three Barn Owls, often in the same view, plus three Mandarins and a Chiffchaff or two, while Reed Buntings sang and a small flock of Wigeons grazed. Also, Sunday 31st, a quick visit to Holmethorpe was rewarded with the adult Little Gull on Mercers Lake, a Little Ringed Plover on Water Colour Lagoon 2 and a singing Chiffchaff plus Grey Wagtail and the Great Crested and Little Grebes, a Shelduck, a drake Shoveler etc.
I hope the better weather improves local birding soon!
